It’s Winegrape Harvest Season! Here’s What You Need To Know (NAPSA)—As late summer turns to fall, vintners bring to bearall their skill in tasting and timing as they aim to harvest their grapes when they are “just ripe.” Aaron Lange has worked the har- vest since he was a kid, so he has seen a lot of great vintages. Now he’s Director of Viticulture Operations at LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards, and Chairmanofthe California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG). Here's his behind-the-scenes look at how the harvest affects the delicious wines you know andlove. Whatare the ideal conditions for =<) Expert vintners such as Aaron Lange say Lodi, California will produce high-quality winesthis year. are transported from the vineyard to the winery crusher, maintaining flavors. a healthy harvest? A look at the Lodi, California harvest the foundation for a successful harvest, California growers, with wet weath- A good season of winter rain lays “While it was a challenging year for preparing the soil before the growing er and a lot ofleaf-pulling to open the a sunny, dry spring and summerare ideal so vintners can control the amount of water they apply through irrigation, hoping to prevent the grapes from getting too big andlosing flavor. Lange. “The crop size looks average in comparison to years past, and we believe that well be able to harvest a quality crop that will pay off in the wines once weget them bottled” Fourth- and fifth-generation growers like the Langes have worked to transform Lodi from a supplier of grapes to a world-class wine-producing season that begins in March. After April, Should you be picky about when to pick your grapes? Definitely! While a lot of science goes into determining ripeness, grow- ers primarily rely on their taste buds for the ultimate decision about timing. LangeTwins tends to harvest sparkling wine grapesfirst, its Chardonnay and Pi- not Noir varietals, to ensure lower sugar levels. Next are the white winegrapes for Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, and late-in-the-season varietals, Lodi’s famous Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sau- vignon andSyrah, are harvestedlast. Thesecret is in the skin! All the flavor, color and tannic struc- ture reside in the skin of the grapes. During harvest, you'll see winemakers and growers squeezethe pulp out of the grape and put only the skins in their mouthsto help determineripeness. canopies, the growers kept with it” said region. With 110,000 acres, more than 750 winegrowers, 90 wineries and over 125 varieties of wine, Lodiis the largest appellation in the US. It boasts more acreage than both Napa Valley and Sonoma County combined. About LangeTwins Family Wineryand Vineyards Forfive generations, the LangeTwins family has been a sustainable winegrape grower in the Lodi appellation of California. The LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards produces a collection of brands including LangeTwins Reserve, LangeTwins Estate and Caricature. LangeTwins is the recipient of the 2014 International Award of Excellence in Sustainable Winegrowing competition Let’s meet at the vinesat 9...p.m.? and has been honored by the Botanical Research Institute of Texas and the 2017 CAWGGrowerof the Year Award. evening temperatures, which allow the langetwins.com or connect via www. The mechanical harvesters and workers take advantage of Lodi’s cool grapes to snap off the vine easily, and less oxidation takes place as the grapes For more information, visit www. facebook.com/LangeTwins, @LangeTwins and www.instagram.com/langetwins.
